Too much fun, we almost missed it: October 26 is our birthday — RetroRenovation.com has turned eight. In addition to shaking up a Shark Bite, we want to celebrate by asking all our dear readers:
- What would you like to see more of on the blog?
- What burning questions do you have that we might be able to get all Brenda Starr about?
- Any other suggestions… comments… encouragement?
Proceed to the comments section, then go find a cake, cookie or cuppa and join us in a toast to more fantastic years ahead!
J D Log says
Happy Birthday and thank you for many years of enjoyment. I am pretty happy with all the articles it is a nice balanced variety. My only suggestion is maybe have a monthly reader down loader pick any household item as the subject eg heater, vacum cleaner, can opener etc etc there are endless amount of subjects
Rick S says
Pam and Kate,
I love your site and my wife hears me quote from Retro Renovation. I would like to have more of the Coolonial 70’s featured. My house is c1978 and has the beamed ceiling and brick fireplace in the family room. A little updating to the 90s was done and the house picked up a bit of a Victorian farmhouse feel then.
I grew up in the 60s and 70s so love those years. Love the 40’s and 50s because that is my grandparents house style.
I would love a series on the 50s wrought iron patio/sunroom furniture. I have a Mamie pink set from 1957 and love it.
rick
Shannon says
Happy Birthday!
My faves are: time capsule houses, pastel bathrooms, Fiesta ware (!), and (to second what that other commenter said) small-scale renovations that don’t overwhelm the average crummy DIY-er like me.
Love you guys!
Sherrill says
Your site is a great resource. I grew up mid-century (really, I was born in 1946). To me, the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s had starkly different architectural and decor styles. Today they are all marketed as one. A discussion comparing and contrasting the eras might be interesting.
Carolyn says
I’m jumping on this bandwagon as well – I’d like to be able to differentiate between the decades also.
JeffK says
Congrats on 8 years! I’ve been a daily reader for about two and half years now since buying my own mid-century modest home. It’s changed my whole outlook on what to do with my home. Many thanks!
I love seeing the time capsule homes. And I love seeing renovation articles on kitchens, baths, etc. Mike & Lindsey’s “House of Good Taste” series was an epic blending of the two!
But I really enjoy smaller scale renovations. An idea is more before/after shots by readers showing small decorating and fixture improvements. Over time I get stuck seeing my own house up too close and could use some inspiration. Replacing house numbers, restoring a vanity cabinet, color change on a room, or undoing bad 70’s/80’s/90’s ‘improvements’ could be possibilities. Anything to help us all visualize what our own home might look like with improvements, how to do it, and where to get items. This is done somewhat already, but I think the readers could be challenged to provide more small-scale content like this. We’ve all done minor improvements to our homes, and I bet many of us have before photos we could match with new after pics.
pam kueber says
Hi JeffK, thanks for your nice comment. I like your suggestion about doing more small-scale improvement stories – a lot! Ask Kate: She and I so often get sucked into The EPIC stories. It’s pretty exhausting. A good reminder to ME that including smaller bites in the mix is welcome, too!
ChrisH says
Happy Birthday. I don’t recall what year I discovered RR, but I’ve been a regular reader for at least 4 years, if not longer.
I’d like to see more about MC adapted to slightly older homes. Houses get remodeled and redecorated (and remudled, unfortunately) and people want to “modernize”. So at mid century, a lot of MCM stuff was being placed in homes that pre-date MCM.
I espeically like your articles on late ’30s/early ’40s stuff. But I understand that the focus will be primarily later stuff.
Time capsules creep me out a little, while being fascinating at the same time. There is something a bit “Twighlight Zone” about time capsule homes, as if the people have been asleep for half a century.
Thanks for all the hard work. RR is a real asset.
pam kueber says
Hi ChrisH, Thanks for your comment. Re Time Capsules: Ya know what keeps me from feeling the creep-out factor: We are showing respect for these houses. With the mass market rush to gut them, we are showing our love and appreciation and archiving their good examples. I don’t think of them as Twilight Zone — I think of them as homes owned by people who were thrifty and not prone to throwing out things are still perfectly useful.
ineffablespace says
In one of the forums I participate in, I think there is a tendency to equate a time capsule with some sort of neglect, and I don’t believe the two have to overlap. I look at a lot of real estate and I do sometimes see a house that was built, decorated and has decayed ever since.
On the other hand, I think a true time capsule is not only preserved but maintained. I grew up in a sort of time capsule, it was built and furnished in 1969/1975, and parts of it were redecorated in 1987 without replacing any furniture, just fabrics, wallcoverings, rugs, window treatments. Different accessories came and went, little things were added, but it was mostly just carefully tended. There is a lot of upholstery that is 28-40 years old that looks as new as when it was done–you can only tell it is older because of the colorways. It didn’t seem as if people were asleep when the house was full…it’s just that my parents got to a point that they liked what they liked and there was no reason in their minds to change anything unless there was something wrong with it. (And boredom with the way it looked or feeling something was “dated” was not something “wrong”. They clearly liked what they liked.)
I am starting my own time capsule.
pam kueber says
Money wasn’t growing on trees back then.
But nowadays, it isn’t either.
Robin, NV says
Wow! Happy birthday!! Here’s to 8 more years.
I would like to see more information on sourcing knotty pine paneling. I also miss the retro design dilemmas. I know it’s a lot of work for you guys but I really enjoy seeing your ideas.
pam kueber says
Hi Robin, thanks for your nice comment. Re knotty pine: Have you seen the resources in this story — for pickwick pine, la classique: https://retrorenovation.com/2014/05/19/pickwick-pine-paneling/
ElectraChime says
Eight Years! Pretty soon we’ll be reading Retro-retro articles, kind of like Charles Schultz’s Peanuts Classics!
nutella says
Happy birthday!! I send people here all the time when they buy an older house…
How about teaming up and featuring some guests posts from this guy. Maybe about windows?
http://thecraftsmanblog.com/
Scott Sidler says
I’m game! Whaddaya think Pam? 🙂
pam kueber says
I’ll take a look more closely at your blog, Scott. Thanks for connecting!
Sixteventies says
First off, happy happy birthday! I’ve loved your blog since I was in high school!
Also, I have been waiting ages for the right time to ask about this! On homes built in the 1970s, there is a special kind of wood beam paneling over the garage door. (I think that kind of architecture is primarily here in California) I don’t know what the specific name is for that, neither do any realtors I know. If anyone knows what it is called I’d love to know!
pam kueber says
Hi Sixteventies, can you send a photo or photos of what you are talking about? Connect via the Contact at the bottom, then we can lookie.
Thanks for your comment — ummm, it made me feel very old! 🙂